What is menopause?
Menopause occurs when a women's’ ovaries stop releasing eggs and diminish the production of estrogen, a hormone that regulates the menstrual cycle. Its firm diagnosis exhibits a period of 12 months during which there is a complete absence of menstrual bleeding along with some extremely vivid symptoms.
It is a completely natural process and every woman between the ages of 40 to 55 undergoes it. It involves 3 stages:
- Perimenopause (Menopause transition): It begins in the 40s when the women start producing less estrogen and last up until menopause (when the ovaries stop releasing any eggs). During this stage, the woman begins to experience the symptoms but can still get pregnant because her menstrual bleeding periods remain intact.
- Menopause: It occurs when a woman between her 40s to 50s experiences an absence of menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months due to absolute cessation in releasing eggs from the ovaries and extremely low levels of estrogen.
- Post menopause: It is the time after experiencing a whole year without any periods. Due to a lack of estrogen, the woman experiences a whole lot of menopausal symptoms and some women had to go through those symptoms even for a decade.
What are the symptons of menopause?
The most common menopausal symptoms are:
- Vaginal dryness
- Irregular periods
- Hot flashes
- Chills
- Night sweats
- Mood swings
- Weight gain
- Sleep problems